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Monday, 7 October 2013

Episode 79 of the House of Comments podcast "The Debt Ceiling Gambit" is out. Myself and Emma discuss Ed vs The Daily Mail and the fallout from this with journalist and author Toby Young and the US shut down with Deputy General Secretary of The Fabian Society Marcus Roberts.

I think the pair of you need to get out a bit more if you are going to discuss USA politics. The guy from the Fabian Society was simplistic and biased and the two of you were like children in awe of an adult who has just pulled out the key to the sweets cupboard.

Furthermore, to call a democratically elected congressman, elected on a ticket of opposing the ACA, anti-democratic beggared belief. Don't you understand Federalism?

There are many arguments against the Affordable Care Act:

1. It won't solve the problem they are trying to fix: runaway costs which is limiting access. This isn't just the opinion of a few Tea Party idiots but a lot of mainstream economists.

It also has perverse incentives. This one is rather amusing: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/01/25/170259620/free-breast-pumps-and-the-cost-of-health-care

And if you really have time try this: http://www.cato.org/bad-medicine but I suspect you'll dismiss it because its Cato.

And also on Cato why the isurance element is screwed up by someone from he Daily Beast: http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/does-hhs-secretary-sebelius-understand-insurance

2. There is also an argument about whether or not it is the role of Federal Government to impose ACA on the States. This is being fought in the Supreme Court and, rightly or wrongly, the founding fathers set up the Government in such a way that it is difficult for the Federal government to override the States and it has been "improved" by both sides since. Try this to understand the role of filibusters as used by both sides and the fact the the Democrats partly have themselves to blame for being in this position: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/07/19/203380401/episode-422-schoolhouse-rock-is-a-lie-or-how-the-filibuster-ate-washington

Furthermore, in Federal systems like the USA you want the States doing things differently so that they can learn without the smallest impact if something goes wrong and implement the stuff that works. If ACA doesn't work then the whole country suffers.

Now, can you please go back to discussing stuff you know about or at least trying a bit of balance and education when you don't about the subject.